Reviews

"Better than Nobu or Zuma, but still much less busy"; it may not be nearly as famous, but this somberly stylish mayfair spot serves "Memorable" dishes (including "fantastic" sushi) and is often favourably compared to its trendier arrivals.
The score: 1 for food, 2 for service and 3 for ambiance. (1 excellent - 5 poor)

Will Smith loves the tartar at London’s Sumosan

When in London, one of his favourite stopping-off points is the cool, minimal sumosan, a restaurant that offers a subtle but stunning blend of western modernism and eastern mystique. sumosan specialises in innovative japanese-european cuisine - think quail teriyaki and dish-of-the-moment, black cod and miso. smith’s favourite is sumosan tartar, a blend of fresh tuna, avocado and a smattering of caviar.

Matthew Norman: ‘A new sushi place run by muscovites in mayfair? The real surprise at Sumosan is the food’

Sumosan proving a delightful surprise not least because of a hostile reception from other restaurant critics. whatever the reviews, a very smart crowd of punters seem to like it, packing the place even early in the week, and on this form, no wonder.
tuna furikaki was outstanding - the seared tuna an enticing purple and encrusted with a sesame and almond paste - while so was beef tataki, the razor-thin slices of quickly seared beef enlivened by a spicy, garlicky dressing and served with a nest of licorice-like strands of beetroot. best of all, and entirely unseared, was kaiso, a spherical salad of wonderfully fresh, surprisingly crunchy seaweed, served with a really good, peanutty dressing.
there wasn’t much to find fault with in the trio of main courses. soft shell crab (£11.50) was fleshy and well-seasoned, although the sauce was a shade vinegary, while slices of rich red duck breast sautéed in a teriyaki sauce were lean and beautifully cooked.
in these post-nobu days it is an arrestable offence to come to such a place and not have the black cod with miso, and this was as good and savoury a rendition of that modern classic (one first identified, in fact, not at nobu but in canada) as i’ve eaten.

At sumosan, i felt i was watching pages of vogue spring to life
Everything about Sumosan is fabulous with a capital punishment. I don’t give out stars - I’m too busy trying to spot them - but if i did, Sumosan would get five. All in all, this is a fantastically entertaining restaurant.
Who goes there?
Recent noteworthy diners have included laurence fishburne, gob geldorf, christina aguilera, niki lauda and jade jagger.
Why?
For modern japanese cuisine at a slightly more reasonable price than elsewhere (ie nobu).
What do they wear?
Trendy - ozwald boateng and william hunt for gents and prada for the girls.

Service was friendly and efficient and food top notch. sushi was textbook - inside out california rolls coated in roe some of the best we’d tried.